


Return

by Bluepaw265



Series: Remember? [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: A line with humour (I'm so good), Angst, Gen, Hiding, Illegal Activities (just fighting; nothing serious), Ninja find Kai (not that they know that), Running Away, Smart Ninja, Some action (not really; it's skipped over), Time Loops (mentioned), Wild goose chase, anger issues, light humour, vague implications of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 07:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13654182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluepaw265/pseuds/Bluepaw265
Summary: Kai's been hiding for 6 months now, and he's finally ready to return.He just...can't face them yet./ / /Where the Ninja stumble upon Kai (unknowingly), and the Fire Ninja has fun (even though he shouldn't).





	Return

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go! Number 2 or 8 (and possibly more)!  
> As I said, updating weekly. Every Monday, so stay tuned for the next connected oneshot!

**_ Return _ **

It was time for him to return.

He’d been in hiding for almost six months, because his friends were still looking for him. They’d seen him fall out of the sky, but they hadn’t found him yet.

But the crowds upon crowds of people were keeping a firm lookout, because by now, Kai knew that they knew that he was avoiding them, because there’d been no enemy activity that’d be strong enough to subdue him.

He knew it’d been wrong of him to leave them all without saying anything. They didn’t even know the truth yet, and he understood how angry Nya would be once he rocked up on the Airjitzu Temple’s doorstep.

He had to think, though. They wouldn’t understand how much he’s had to do. How much he’s had to think. How much he’s had to fight for their, and Ninjago’s, freedom.

He’d had to sift through the nightmares. Stop the nasty images from popping up behind his eyelids every time he closed his eyes. He still hadn’t thoroughly fixed that, though, but he’d realised long ago that he was never going to fully rid himself of the terrible memories.

The hardest part was sifting though reality.

His friends were still here (they haven’t died. They’re all still here). His parents were back (they are alive. They’re looking after Nya).

But Sensei Wu was gone, and will likely never return (he said he’d come back. He will return. He _has_ to).

Kai sifts through the heartache of reality by punching trees, and when that doesn’t work (he ends up setting off a major bushfire, and when the Ninja finally get there, he’s long gone), he ends up back in the Slither Pit, welcoming the throbbing bruises and the much-needed distraction.

But that’s all it is, a distraction, and when he starts spotting a certain green ninja three weeks in, he gets out of there before he can talk some sense into him.

He resorts to fighting illegally in the Underground (because he needs to hit _something_ , and everyone is taking out his options and _god_ , he just wants to _sock_ them all in the _face_ ), but, while a much longer distraction, it still manages to get busted on his seventh week in. He almost gets caught, but somehow manages to evade the police.

It’s worse on the run, though, and about four days later, he ends up bumping into Jay on his way down the otherwise empty street, black cap under red hood, and the Lightning Ninja, while not recognising him (the much longer, matted hair might have done the trick), notices the bloodied knuckles (because he just _had_ to stop a potentially brutal mugging not twenty minutes ago) under the streetlight, along with the brisk, trying-not-to-seem-suspicious walk, and Kai ends up being chased across the city.

All the endurance training he’d done in the forest payed off in the end, because he finally shook Jay off after doubling back a few times.

But, even though he’d fooled ‘motormouth’, his friends had turned up to the party.

And they’d found him instantly.

It was a hard gig. He’d managed to trick them a few times, but he hadn’t managed to stay hidden for very long before their Ninja eyesight found him again.

And then Lloyd, in his Ninja Gi, decided enough was enough and, after a few warnings that Kai clearly heard, started shooting energy bolts at him. The others joined in, and soon he was dodging everything with adept speed as he jumped from building to building.

The seriousness had long since ebbed away. He’d begun to have fun, despite himself. It was a game to him, yet they didn’t realise it.

He wouldn’t mind if he returned this way.

He continued to dodge the projectiles in the air, a wide smile on his face.

That was, until they started to get clever.

They started combining their powers, together, and while Kai liked the extra challenge, the smile on his face had turned into a concentrated frown.

They continued to go like that (with Kai’s arms and legs starting to go numb, but he didn’t mind) until Cole’s earth hit an ice shard and sent other, tiny ( _sharp_ ) shards flying at him.

Kai couldn’t dodge that, and once he got hit, the rest came in a blur.

The lightning he got to the back arched up and down his body, and its agony until he lands, the electricity flowing back into the land.

And, as the Ninja land like agile cats, Kai chuckles through the familiar throbbing aches, ignoring Cole’s cry of, “What’s so funny?”

He’ll be returning to them like this, it seems.

“Oh, man.” Kai’s voice is rough, unused, and he slowly sits up from where he fell, rubbing the shoulder he’d landed on, scanning the hostile crowd of Ninja, only finding narrowed eyes. “That’s the most fun I’ve had all year.”

Because the start of the year was when Wu disappeared, and everything _fun_ had been so _dull_. He’s been too serious. Too angry. Too messed up.

Sorting out his problems may be one thing, but his emotions are another thing entirely.

At their baffled expressions, Kai sighs. “I’ve been gone for six months, and you don’t recognise me? I’m _hurt_.” He holds a hand over his heart as Lloyd’s eyes widen, quickly followed by the rest of the gang.

“Kai?” He asks, disbelieving, unsure, shocked, and the Fire Ninja grins.

“I’m back, guys.” Kai tells them, and he’s suddenly thrown into the middle of a group hug, and he knows they’ll be attacking him soon enough. “And I’m never leaving again.”


End file.
